Do you know that moment when you read, see, or hear something and everything comes into focus? I recently had this lightbulb moment when I read Jenny Sansouci’s post on Healthy Crush announcing her new Healthy Highs and Vibe Meter program. Jenny’s program is all about raising your vibrations and I signed up immediately!

This program inspired me to take an inventory of my life, surroundings, and thoughts and apply her vibe meter ratings to them.

My intention is to live a high vibe life. I meditate, drink my green juice, practice yoga, write in my gratitude journal…all good things, right? But the high vibe can easily get weighed down by the low vibe. I’ve already eliminated several lows from my life: gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and coffee. (Note: these are lows for me – they might have a different rating on your vibe meter!) I feel positive about my food choices these days. But I still feel heavy. So what’s weighing me down? Here’s what I rated low vibe in my life right now:

My inbox has been totally low vibe. Sure, it’s full of positive posts from my favorite bloggers but I can’t actually read them because I spend most of my email time deleting “promotional” messages. Over the years I’ve signed up for every email group out there and now I wake up every morning with at least 75 new messages that I have no interest in. Instead of simply deleting each message and repeating again tomorrow, I’ve committed to unsubscribing from all of the junk. I feel lighter already! Slowly but surely I will be raising the vibrations of my inbox.

My iPhone addiction is low vibe for sure! Checking my phone is literally the first and last thing I do each day. Even with a cleaned up inbox, reaching for the phone first thing in the morning is not how I want to start or end my day. But, I’ll admit it, it’s so hard to resist. Someone recently suggested that I declare a phone free 24 hours (gulp) to break the cycle. The time has come and I’m going to commit to it. I’m also going to start putting my phone in airplane mode before bed to make it just that much harder for me to use it first thing.

Image found on Pinterest

I have a confession: I am a tortilla chip junkie. Tortilla chips are my weakness. And once I pop, I can’t stop. I inhale them. Before I started on this wellness path, it wouldn’t be uncommon for me to eat tortilla chips daily. As I learned more and refined my diet, I felt guilty about the chips. I rationalized my obsession by eating a “healthier” version: non-GMO corn, organic, unsalted. But the thing is, they still make me feel like crap. I regret eating them every single time. So why do I do it? I’m craving the high. But it’s not real. The high I’m searching for is just a mirage. The reality is that I walk away bloated, annoyed, and with stomach pain. The lure of the crunch, the salt, and the lime does me in. But, I need to just say no…to tortilla chips.

My morning routine leaves something to be desired. I wake up and immediately wish I was still asleep. (Admit it – you know the feeling – you mentally calculate the number of hours until you get to go back to bed!) After my first iPhone check of the day, I wake up the dog and go for a cold and dark walk, down a huge jar of water, sleepily shower and get ready, make smoothies, and settle in for my long commute with insane traffic. At no point in the morning do I feel grateful and excited for a new day. I feel tired, foggy, rushed, and stressed. And I carry those low vibes with me all day. My goal is to feel energized and at ease. And it doesn’t take much. Instead of reaching for my phone in the morning, I can use that time for a morning meditation. One minute is all it takes. Before I open my eyes I can say a silent prayer. I can cuddle with Scout before his walk. I can drink my smoothie slowly. I can do frog pose or a few sun salutations to get my energy flowing. These small (and manageable) changes will really shift my vibrations. Yes, it is early and yes, I am tired but that doesn’t have to be the whole story. I’m going to join Katie in The Wellness Wonderland and design a morning routine that energizes me!